Expendable razor



May 31, 1949. J. H. HARRIS 2,471,520

EXP ENDABLE RA Z OR Filed May 28, 1945 IN V EN TOR.

Patented May 31, 1949 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to safety razors and. more particularly to safety razors which, by virtue of the nature of material used and the construction thereof, are expendable.

The principal objects of the invention are,

rst: to provide an expendable safety razor or blade holder produced from water resistant material; second: to provide such a blade holder for accommodating conventional blades; third: to provide an expendable blade holder produced from a preformed blank of waxed material having the prerequisites for drainage of moisture from the blade receptacle; waxing of the blade to preserve the same for reuse and apertures forming castellations, when folded, to define a guard for the blade.

The foregoing characteristics are chief among the objects of the invention but of equal importance is the collapsibility of the blade holder in folded form to a length and width but slightly greater than the length and width of a conventional safety razor blade so that the holder, in compact form may be dispensed from a suitable Vending machine located in hotel rooms, wash rooms or other places accessible to travelers as a matter of convenience. Moreover, in such compact form, the blade holders equipped with blades may be conveniently packaged for sale to the consumer for domestic use.

With the foregoing objects as paramount, the invention has further reference to certain features of accomplishment which will become apparent as the description proceeds, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a plan view of a pre-cut blank, foldable to form the blade holder and handle.

Figure 2 is a similar view but showing the blank partially folded.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the complete razor.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the razor collapsed, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary side view of the razor greatly enlarged and in vertical section.

Continuing with a more detailed description of the drawing, reference is primarily made to Figure 1 wherein l9 denotes a blank of waxed paper or card-board of sufficient strength or weight that it will retain its shape when folded and by virtue of the waxed surfaces thereof, will resist water. It is obviously possible to produce the blank from other materials such as pliable plastic which is inherently moisture proof.

The blank I!) consists of an elongated intermediate strip H of material which, in the case of paper, is laminated to enclose two or more reinforcing wires 12 which are coextensive and in parallel relationship. The material of which these wires are made is malleable or pliable and remains in the shape formed thereby. It is preferred that the wires be so spaced with respect to each other that one will lie along one edge of the elongated or intermediate strip H while the other extends through the center thereof. The purpose of these reinforcing wires is to prevent back spring of the sections of the blank it when they are folded in the manner to be presently explained.

Formed integrally with the intermediate section H in cutting are side sections [3 and I4, the latter being shorter in length than the former but each may be said to be parallel with the intermediate section I I.

To form the body of the razor or the blade holder, the side section I4 is folded on line a onto the half portion b of the section II, defined by the longitudinal dotted line 0 of the latter. The opposite side section [3 is folded onto the companion half portion d of the intermediate are folded one upon the other along dotted line 0, to enclose the side sections l3 and I4, in the manner shown in Figure 2.

Before the folding operations described, or during the stamping of the blank l0, apertures l5 are made in the intermediate section II, half in portion b and half in portion at so that when these portions are folded along line 0, the apertures will appear semi-circular, as shown in Figures 2, 3 and i. The purpose of these apertures will be presently explained. Also preformed in the blank are smaller apertures IE which straddle the folding line a between the intermediate section I l and the side section [4. These latter apertures form the guard, as shown in Figures 3 to 4.

Having folded the side sections l3 and M onto the intermediate section H and the portions 17 and d of the latter onto each other, it will be noted that the edge formed by the folded line a extends slightly beyond that formed by the fold c, defining portion d of the section II which lies immediately over the section [4. By making portion 1) of section I l wider than the companion portion 01, corresponding in width to side section Hi, the foregoing result is attained and it is apparent that the cutting edge of a blade 11, when the latter is inserted between the folds of underlying sections l3 and M, will extend beyond the former to overlie the serrations or castellations formed by the closely spaced holes I6.

To form the head and handle of the blade holder, the body just described is further folded transversely. The first transverse folds f and g are made to define the head or blade holding pocket as to length. The handle is formed by breaking the body transversely along broken lines it and next .iadjacent lines f and g, and securing by means of a staple 3.

To join the two extremities of the body together, it will be noted in Figures 1 and 2 especially that the laminations of the body arereduced to two at one end and to three at the opposite end thereof while the midsection has'four laminations. When in folded form, the-end. of the intermediate section H having two laminations is folded on transverse line 7' to form a'tabtii, which is thrust between the laminations of the :opposite end Hi of the body, as exemplified in Figure 3, which shows the completed blade holder or razor.

.Iniorder to hold the blade 51 against displacement from the pocket described in the foregoing,

any suitable means, such as a wire staple 213 is fastened in the head or blade pocket, whose legs pass through the apertures 2| (Figure of the conventional blade l1, and are clenched underneath the head at. 22.

It is intended that razors or blade holders such :as described in the foregoing be ofsuch nature that they may be dispensed singly from a vending machine. To make this possible, the parallel portions of the handle are oppositelyscored transversely ori lines 70 so that they will break'outwardly' and thus: permit the handle tobe collapsed to the'compactform-show-n in Figurel. In this form, the blade holder containing the blade may be packaged preferably in a moisture tight wrapper or container and'dispensed inthis form from "a coinoperated machine of :anyconventional-and suitable design for immediate use.

When the wrapper is removed from the blade holder, the handle of the latter is extended by pressing on the folded points It, after which the razor is used in the customary manner of shaving.

2 Should it be desired to cleanse the razor for reuse before casting it away, it is held under a running-waterttap 'or otherwise washed, afterwards permitting Water to drain'from the blade pocket through apertures l5. The head and handle may be'wt'pedto remove clinging moisture and the thumb of one hand passed across the top of the headtowards the exposed edge of the blade-i1 .to distribute thereover a thin'film of Wax transferred from the waxcoated surface of the material forming the body of the device. The blade .edge will thus be preserved for reuse.

-Manifestly,'the construction as shown and described is capable of some modification and such modification as may be construed to fall within ithescope and meaning of the appended claims is also considered to be withinthe spirit and intent of the invention. VVhatis claimed is: 1. An expendable razor including a blade pocket'and a. handle formed of a blank of moisture- ..proof. materialcomprising a rectangular intermediate sectionvand rectangular-side sections .of

shorter length thanthe intermediatesection, one

4 side section being of greater width than the other side section and being folded onto its companion half portion of the intermediate section, and the other side section being folded onto its companion half portion of the intermediate section whereby their abutting edges are offset from the axis of the intermediate section; the intermediate section being folded longitudinally along the abutting edges of the folded side sections to enclose the side sections, the wider side section having a series of perforations in the line of fold to form a razor blade guard; the blank thus formed being "folded transversely at predetermined points to define-Ja blade receiving pocket; a blade in said pocket having its edge exposed at the narrower ofthe'folds of the intermediate section; the last namedfolds being secured to the pocket portion;

the opposed ends of the blank being folded outwardly-at their line of abutment at the center of the pocket portion; and the outer ends of the blank being-secured together to form a handle portion.

. 2. In a razor as set forth in claim 1, said ends of the handle portions being secured by folding the end of one handle portion to form a tab and insertingsame into the laminationszof the other handle portion.

' 3. An expendable razor including a blade. pocket and a handle formed of a'blank of moisture proof material comprising a rectangular'intermediate section and rectangular side sections of shorter length than the intermediate section, one side section being of greater width than the other side section and being folded onto its companion half portion of the intermediate section, and the other side section being folded onto its companion half portion of the intermediate section whereby their abutting edges are ofiset from the axis of the intermediate section; the intermediate section being folded longitudinally along the abutting edges of the folded side sections to enclose the side sections, the wider side section having a series of perforations in the line of fold to form a razor blade guard; the blank thus formed being folded transversely at predetermined points'to define a blade receiving pocket; a blade in said pocket having its edge exposed at the narrower of the folds of the intermediate section; the last named folds being secured to the pocket portion; the opposed-ends of the blank being folded out wardly at their line of abutment at the center of the pocket portion; the outer ends of the blank being secured together to form a handle portion; and the outwardly extending handle portions at their mid-points being scored whereby the handle portions may break outwardly when collapsed to closely overlie the pocket portion.

l.-In-a razor as set forth in claim 3, said ends of the handle portions being secured-by folding the end of one handle portion to forma tab and inserting same into the laminations of the other handle portion.

JULIUS H..HARRIS.

REFERENCES CITED FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Austria Aug. 10, 1927 Number 

